A photo of Zahra Mohammadi Golpayegani is displayed alongside footage of mourners paying tribute to her flag-draped coffin during a memorial ceremony at Tehran's Grand Mosalla.
Tehran: The tiny coffin of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s 14-month-old granddaughter was displayed at Tehran’s Grand Mosalla on Friday, July 3, as mourners gathered to pay tribute ahead of the official funeral ceremonies for Iran’s late Supreme Leader on Saturday, July 4.
Iranian media identified the child as Zahra Mohammadi Golpayegani, who was among Khamenei’s family members killed in the Israeli airstrike on February 28 that also claimed the life of the Iranian leader and triggered the Middle East war.
Video footage released by Iranian media showed the child’s small coffin, draped in Iran’s tricolour flag, being carried into the Grand Mosalla, where thousands of mourners attended a pre-funeral tribute ceremony. A framed portrait of the child was displayed beside the coffin as visitors paused to pay their respects.
The memorial also honoured several members of Khamenei’s family who were killed in the attack, including his son-in-law, his eldest daughter and the wife of Iran’s new Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei. Their coffins were displayed alongside Khamenei’s at the Grand Mosalla before the start of the state funeral.
Senior Iranian political, military and religious leaders, bereaved families and foreign delegations attended the tribute ceremony, offering condolences ahead of the official funeral programme, which begins on Saturday.
According to the official schedule, the funeral ceremonies will continue in Tehran before moving to Qom, followed by memorial events in Baghdad, Najaf and Karbala. Khamenei is scheduled to be buried on Thursday, July 9, at the Imam Reza shrine in Mashhad.
This post was last modified on July 3, 2026 5:11 pm